What's Floating Around Cloud 9? July 2019

Wow it's been a warm one - and even though it was a little short lived, it shows that we can occasionally enjoy some amazing weather in this country. With record sales of BBQ items and Beer, a little sunshine is certainly good for the economy along with everything else you associate with summer. The big brands are probably rubbing their hands together in glee and who can blame them!

So whilst this might be somewhat of a tenuous link, it does bring to mind a story we heard recently involving three of the big brands in the event industry and their interesting history.  So if you have ever wondered why only Pepsi is available at Marriott and Starwood Hotels #EventProfs, then read on!

Loyalty clearly is the foundation of this story, and it starts with a senior executive from Coca-Cola Co who stated the soft-drink company lost a big contract with Marriott after Coca-Cola refused to lend Marriott around $100 million despite the brand being stocked in all of their hotels for over 20 years. 

Marriott were in a little trouble financially and turned to their suppliers to help and whilst the numbers might seem staggering here, someone somewhere at the Coca-Cola company must be kicking themselves today. 

Marriott’s switch to Pepsi followed Coke’s refusal to lend Marriott somewhere in the region of $50 million to $100 million in loans and although the brand is not a bank,  someone at Pepsi stepped in to the breach and helped out the hotel chain during their rocky patch. Subsequently all of the hotels in their portfolio now stock Pepsi products rather than Coke.

When Marriott took over Starwood in 2016, any stocked Coke products started to slowly be replaced around their global portfolio and as the big hotel chains continue to expand, they are certainly not being left behind and made record organic room signings in Europe in 2018.

The US hospitality giant ended the year with a portfolio of more than 6,900 properties and more than 1.3 million rooms in 130 countries worldwide, and their plan is to add an additional 1700 hotels to that portfolio in the next three years. We are not economists here at Cloud 9 but let's, with a really really really low estimated guess, look at a single sale of a pepsi drink a day in each of those hotels - 6,900 x 365 days - that's an awful lot of sales to Pepsi...

Now, where did we leave our ice, it's time for a fizzy drink?! Have a great week...

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 21 September 2015

Welcome to another week and we like a little technology here at Cloud 9 Towers so we are finding it fascinating that the simple hotel Apps that we are all fairly used to for booking hotels, have really come on leaps and bounds recently.

We’ve not found an App yet that will do everything we want but some of the bigger hotel chains are really stepping up the features and making guest experiences much more interactive.

For example, The Ritz-Carlton brand is all about helping you to create lasting memories of your stay, and with their enhanced mobile app, you can enrich your hotel experiences and share them more easily than ever.

You can check in prior to your arrival and receive a notification when your room is ready and check out without stopping at the front desk and having to queue and you can also view your bill and track and any extra charges through the app. Additionally, it doesn’t matter whether you need a shoeshine, turndown service or more fresh towels, you can request it via the app rather than ring housekeeping.

Another lovely feature via the Ritz Carlton App is that you can transform your photos into unique, vintage-inspired travel posters that you can share easily and as they use GPS technology, once the app recognises that you have arrived, you’ll be sent all sorts of special offers and tips from the Group President.

With the Hilton Hotels & Resorts app for iPhone, you can browse, book and access your information on the go really easily but in addition, there are all sorts of extra features these days such as being able to access pillow menus in advance so your room is just how you want it on arrival.

No need to check in either, you can simply access your room using the App, so if you don’t want to wait, or are simply feeling like having some alone time, you can pretty much sneak in and out without seeing anyone at all!

Starwood also have an app and their new SPG app delivers a richer, more intuitive experience that’s loaded with the features you want. Not only do you get access to the 1,200 hotels and resorts of Starwood’s award-winning loyalty program, but you can also explore all of the brands from Sheraton and Westins, through to W and Le Méridien.

It has all of the usual features you would expect including the opportunity to book and check in well in advance, and provides all of the latest offers and promotions, but it also has lots of hotel information related to your travel plans and around the clock assistance from the SPG support team.

We do also like the fact that you can store your hotel room number so you never lose it, which is handy if you like a particular room at a specific hotel and also there is a great feature which provides an In-language address for when you’re travelling abroad.

Finally the Accor App which allows you to access and book with all of their brands including ibis, Novotel, Mercure, Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Suite Novotel, Adagio, ibis Styles, ibis budget, hotelF1, and Mama Shelter.

Yes you can book and find a hotel near you if needs be, but you can also watch each of the hotels videos in advance and access the trip Advisor rankings on each in advance to help you make an informed choice.

In addition to sending you a booking reminder once you have booked, you can check in online from 2 days before your arrival at the hotel and even check the wether at your destination before your trip so you know what to pack!

The App also allows you to book your own Uber private car to get to your hotel and allows you access to your favourite press publications for free on your mobile using ACCOR PRESS powered by PressReader.

And something which is really rather clever, is that you can discover just where the in crowd are going as you can check the most popular destinations within the Accor portfolio, Berlin to Bangkok, Lyon to London, Strasbourg to Sydney.

So, app(y) booking everyone, have a great week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 4 May 2015

Welcome to another week! We love discovering new hotels and venues worldwide here at Cloud 9 and it seems that in 2015 there is an explosion of new hotels globally. Whilst in the past few years it seemed that all of the major new chains were setting their sights on China and India as well as other parts of Asia, there is a huge resurgence in Europe and also in the States. Additionally Dubai is also expanding at a huge rate, as if any more hotels could be squeezed in!

In the US there is and has been a huge amount of activity especially in New York, Miami, and Chicago, but also in areas like Boston and in the South. Additionally Africa is also seeing an upturn with three new hotels in Marrakech, and one each in Cassablanc and Zanzibar.

But which are the ones to watch? Well we've picked some of our favourites that have either opened in the last couple of month or are about to welcome their first guests...

Built in 1906 by John Jacob Astor IV, scion of one of America’s wealthiest families, The Knickerbocker played host to the world’s biggest names in entertainment, politics, culture and high society in the earliest years of the 20th century. Its iconic Beaux-Arts design, glamorous European luxury, and welcoming American hospitality made it “the” place to be for glitterati and dignitaries, while its legendary barroom became known as “The 42nd Street Country Club.”

Open for just fifteen years, The Knickerbocker was one of three entities—along with the subway and the New York Times—whose arrival at the crossroads of 42nd Street and Broadway transformed sleepy Times Square into New York City’s biggest tourist destination. The onset of Prohibition marked the beginning of the end for the hotel renowned for its lavish parties and nightlife, and in 1921 the property was converted into offices. Designated as a New York City Landmark in 1988, The Knickerbocker is reborn today as a Manhattan’s premier luxury lifestyle hotel, and it looks great!

Staying in New York,  the Baccarat Hotel & Residences  is a contemporary Manhattan take on a classically elegant Parisian hôtel particulier. It blends influences past and present to create sumptuous spaces, both grand and intimate that inspire wonder with their enchanting surprises and carefully considered details. 

Sought after Paris-based design duo Gilles & Boissier created nearly every piece of furniture for the hotel’s soaring salon-style public spaces, as well as the 114 light-filled rooms and suites of the hotel. Weaving artisanal Baccarat crystal elements throughout, they lavished attention on each surface, be it a sparkling mica-covered vaulted ceiling, silver-leafed wood paneling, pleated-silk walls or a monumental marble table. New York design masters Tony Ingrao and Stephen Sills, respectively, handled the 60 residences and the ground-level contemporary French restaurant, Chevalier.  The skyline-shaping international architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, meanwhile, designed the soaring state-of-the-art tower itself, creating a prismatic glass façade — directly across the street from the Museum of Modern Art — that recalls the radiance of Baccarat crystal and subtly reflects and refracts light up and down its 50 stories.

Over in LA you'll love the new Mama Shelter Hotel which is fun, funky and very very quirky!  

Design and comfortable rooms rates are at the heart of the Mama Shelter brand, and with its warm bars & restaurants, lively look and feel, free wifi and free movies, its certainly one of the ones on our hit list!

Over in Canada  we suggest you discover more than just the new Element Hotel in Vancouver Metrotown. Nearby are Metropolis at Metrotown—a mall with hundreds of shopping, dining, and entertainment options—and Metrotown Station, which is 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver by SkyTrain. Energize in a smarter space. Their open-flow guest rooms are designed to meet all your needs, with fully-equipped kitchens, the signature Heavenly Bed®, and more, all thoughtfully arranged to rejuvenate you for work or play.

Inspired by Westin^® Hotels & Resorts, Element Hotels promotes balance through flowing, multi-purpose spaces. Influenced by nature, the smart, environmentally-friendly design maximizes space and enables you to use each area in multiple ways.

Starwood, who is the brand behind Westin is also opening an Element Hotel in Amsterdam and also a  W Amsterdam, both later this year. The 160-room Element Amsterdam will move into a former office building located inside the Gelderlandplein shopping center. A win-win for everyone and a seemingly perfect fit, so to speak, for Element.The new Element will have the core "elements" of the brand, including studio style rooms with signature Heavenly bed, energy efficient kitchens, and large flexible work spaces. There will be a 24-hour fitness center and "grab and go" gourmet pantry, flexible meeting spaces and 24-hour business center, and free WiFi everywhere you are.

 A little closer to home, Manchester's newest five star hotel is now open on King Street - the seriously stylish Hotel Gotham. The old Midland Bank Building is now one of the "sexiest hotels in Europe”. With its name inspired by Batman’s fictional American home city, Hotel Gotham takes its design inspiration from the landmark Art Deco building in Manchester designed by Edwin Lutyens in 1928. 

It has been painstakingly restored and transformed from its banking past into a 60-room hotel, with what they describe as a "nostalgic and decadent design". It includes a 6th floor restaurant called Honey and a 7th floor private members bar called Club Brass. The restaurant, open to non-residents, will boast fabulous views across the city through original arched windows, and the main reception will also be located on the 6th floor.

Meanwhile the swanky Club Brass offers an exclusive rooftop retreat for VIPs, with sleek leather booths and intriguing design features with a nod to its banking past - including leather satchel light fittings, bowler hat displays, green glass and bankers’ lamps. We'll certainly be giving it a try the next time we are in Manchester!

That's it for now, have a great week and we'll see you soon!